With demand for health services continuing to grow as populations age and new technologies emerge to meet health needs, healthcare policy-makers are under constant pressure to set priorities, ie, to make choices about the health services that can and cannot be funded within available resources. In a recent paper, Smith et al apply an influential policy studies framework – Kingdon’s multiple str...

Noninvasive positive pressure ventilation (NPPV) refers to the delivery of mechanical ventilation to the lungs using techniques that do not require an endotracheal intubation. In the past decade NPPV has gained wide acceptance and is now used more frequently after development of portable ventilators, new modes of ventilation and other equipments. This article will provide a comprehensive overvi...

It is arguable that the instinct for survival in animal species has evolved due to the evolutionary elimination of those individuals who did not have enough inclination nor desire to cluster in a team. Thus, the roots of ethical conduct in its many facets in today’s world, may be sought in this very primeval concern for the society that enabled communities, rather than individuals, to survive i...

When a natural gas pipeline ruptures, the adjacent upstream and downstream automatic control valves (ACV) should close quickly to prevent leakage or explosion. The differential pressure set point (DPS) at each valve location is the main criteria for value setting in ACV actions. If the DPS is not properly adjusted, the ACV may mistakenly close or it may not take any actions at a proper ti...

When a natural gas pipeline ruptures, the adjacent automatic line control valves (ALCVs) should close quickly to prevent leakage or explosion. The differential pressure set point (DPS) at each valve location is the main criteria for value setting in ALCV action. If the DPS is not properly adjusted, the ALCV may mistakenly close or it may not take any action at proper time. This study focused on...

it has been proven through laboratory experiments that the three types of gas migration through a cemented annulus can be eliminated by designing the correct cement mixture. the first type of void and, therefore, gas migration can occur between the casing and the cement. by adding the correct amount of magnetite to the cement, this void, and therefore  the  possible  cause  of  gas migration, c...

Background To date, research on priority-setting for new vaccines has not adequately explored the influence of the global, national and sub-national levels of decision-making or contextual issues such as political pressure and stakeholder influence and power. Using Kapiriri and Martin’s conceptual framework, this paper evaluates priority setting for new vaccines in Uganda at national and sub-na...

High-density polyethylene (HDPE) pipes find versatile applicability for transportation of water, sewage and slurry from one place to another. Hence, these pipes undergo tremendous pressure by the fluid carried. The present work entails the optimization of the withstanding pressure of the HDPE pipes using Taguchi technique. The traditional heuristic methodology stresses on a trial and error appr...

Despite ongoing concern about substance use during adolescence, very little is known about alcohol and drug use among teens living in affluent social settings. In this longitudinal study, cluster analysis was used to characterize patterns of substance use and change in other dimensions of psychosocial adjustment within a cohort of 292 high school students (54% girls) living in an affluent, subu...